Writing a Thesis Statement for your 7 th Grade Career Research Project

What is a thesis statement? Where is it used?

Tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the topic (Why is your topic important?)

Is typically a single sentence at the end of your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader.

The rest of the paper (the body of the essay) gathers, organizes and presents evidence to support the

statement you claimed as true in your thesis.

Why is a thesis statement essential to the research process?

A strong thesis statement expresses a clear purpose of a paper.

It clearly defines what the paper is going to be about BUT NEVER USES WORDS LIKE, “My paper is

going to be about…” or “In this paper, you will learn…”

The more precise the thesis statement is, the more likely the writing that supports it will be clear and

organized.

A thesis statement lays the “foundation” for the rest of your paper, so you want to do

this correctly. You’ll want to ensure that you have a strong, clear thesis so that the rest

of the paper has something to properly “build” upon. Think of it like a house; without a strong foundation underneath it, the rest will crumble—regardless of how many “pretty”

decorations (words) or lively colors (details) you may have built above it!

How do I begin to develop my thesis statement?

1. Refer back to your topic and start with that. What specific career did you choose?

o Example: My career cluster was “Law & Public Safety” but my chosen occupation under that cluster

was “Fire Fighter”

What’s your chosen occupation? _____________________________________________

2. Remind yourself what the 3 body paragraphs of your paper are supposed to be about. These are called

“contentions” and “subtopics”. Write them here:

o Subtopic #1: ___________________________________

o Subtopic #2: ___________________________________

o Subtopic #3: ___________________________________

3. Notice the questions that were written in bullet points under each Subtopic on your “Career Research Paper

Project” description sheet. These questions were chosen by your teachers to help you focus on the “Essential

information” while you researched. They’re known as “Essential Questions”. Essential questions are what

research writers must create BEFORE they write a thesis statement (and before the y conduct

research). For this assignment, it’s already been done for you.

4. Now, revise your essential questions into a statement that clearly identifies the following requirements of a

3-part thesis statements:

(Your purpose/position) + topic + subtopic 1 + subtopic 2 + subtopic 3

5. To assist you in this process, follow the appropriate “formula” that has been started for you below.

“Formula” Thesis statements for this Research Project:

Below you’ll find a recommended thesis “formula” that is appropriate for this research project. Do not remove the

words that are in bold; simply insert your own words to the “___” lines, as instructed by the guidelines in

parenthesis.

Get your thesis approved by your teacher.

___________ Teacher’s initials ________ date

I am most interested in pursuing a career in/as a [insert your topic]

_____________________ because of its [choose & insert an adjective to describe its career

overview] _______________ career overview (or “job outlook”), [choose & insert an

adjective to describe its salary] _______________ salary, and [choose & insert an adjective to

describe its training] _____________________ education (or “training”).